


Those Freckles on Your Butt

by MellyMiraculous (randomelity)



Category: Miraculous Ladybug
Genre: Aged-Up Character(s), F/M, Gen, Humor, Identity Reveal, ML Ultimate Guess Who Challenge, butts are seen, mentions of nudity, technically only one
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-03-26
Updated: 2017-03-26
Packaged: 2018-10-10 23:57:29
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,971
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10450416
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/randomelity/pseuds/MellyMiraculous
Summary: It turns out that Adrien has a thing against modesty and Marinette gets a fateful eyeful.





	

**Author's Note:**

> Aged-up kids, humor, rated T for mentions of nudity – nothing explicit

“Adrien!” Marinette squawked, blushing and clapping a hand over her eyes.

If there was ever a way to eradicate any lingering preconceptions a person might have about a school-age crush, it was to become roommates with them. Granted, having been friends with Adrien for so many years had already informed Marinette that the blond was not nearly so well-mannered as she'd first believed. He definitely had a mischievous side. Furthermore, he was sometimes given to dramatics and loved jokes – a lot. Her friend was definitely a dork, and couldn't have been more loved for it.

This, however, was taking some getting used to. Marinette was certain it was related to having been a model half his life, but Adrien seemed to have no sense of modesty. None. And it was becoming a problem. She might not have had a crush on him as she had before – a certain other blond in a magical leather catsuit had seen to that – but that did not change the fact that Adrien had grown from a dreamy teenager into a devastatingly handsome young man.

Oh, and he was aware of the fact, now.

“Whoops,” Adrien hastily pulled up his trousers. Fortunately, his back had been to the door, so her exposure was minimal. However, she did notice a cluster of three freckles at the top of his right butt-cheek. “Guess it's a bit early in the day for a full moon.”

Marinette sputtered at him, peeking through her fingers to make sure he was adequately clothed before giving him a stern look. “Adrien, there is a lock on this door – two of them!” the young woman exclaimed. “If you're going to change in the bathroom, can you _please_ lock the door?”

“Sorry, Mari,” Adrien's expression was contrite enough, although there was a twitch of amusement around his mouth. Honestly! “Guess I'm still not used to this. I didn't used to have to share a bathroom, at all. Now, there's four of us.”

“You're fine,” Marinette sighed. “Just please remember next time.”

“You know, if I didn't know you so well, I'd almost be hurt that you insist on turning down a free show,” Adrien teased, the impish grin that had steadily become more prominent over the past five years spreading across his face.

“Free show?” Alya piped up, appearing behind Marinette in the doorway. “What free... oh, Adrien is shirtless. Are we having a striptease? Can I watch, too? O-kay, I guess not,” the reporter trailed off, laughing as her best friend shoved her out of the bathroom and slammed the door behind them.

All right, so perhaps her crush wasn't wholly extinguished, judging by the heat in her face. She'd wager any regular person would be just as flustered in the presence of a half-naked Adrien literally-a-model Agreste.

 

* * *

 

“Is he wearing a shrub?” Ladybug found herself asking that afternoon. She had arrived a bit belatedly to the scene of the chaos, so the rest of the team had already arrived. There were more than just the two of them who'd started out all those years before. Now, there was not only Ladybug and Chat Noir, but Volpina (the _real_ one), Queen Bee, and Paon, as well.

“Oh, yeah,” drawled Volpina, whom they mostly called Foxy. “And you'll _never_ guess what he's called.”

“Or what he does,” scoffed Bee in disgust.

“I AM HAZER,” the akuma declared. “AND YOU WILL ALL PAY FOR YOUR LAUGHTER! FOR MAKING ME THE BUTT OF YOUR JOKES!”

Chat gave a snort that made Ladybug suspect the akuma must have made a pun. “I think it's safe to say his university initiation was a CAT-astrophe,” he declared.

“What does he do?” Ladybug asked in mild alarm. Usually more people stuck around to gawk, these days, making their job a bit trickier, but there was hardly anyone on the street and those who could be seen seemed to be peeking out from behind objects or parted fingers.

As though in answer, the akuma swung the tie he carried like a whip, flinging it out towards the heroes. Foxy, Bee, and Paon all scattered and Ladybug followed their lead. Unfortunately, Chat hadn't been quick enough and the blast of light flying off the tie grazed him.

Apparently, that was enough, for the result was instantaneous. One minute Chat Noir was clothed in full-bodied magical black leather and the next... he wasn't. Although, quite fortunately, his mask (and ears, for that matter) remained in place.

Ladybug couldn't help but stare as her partner scrambled for cover. She _knew_ that butt – and not just because she'd spent a considerable amount of time admiring it through Chat's suit. She _knew_ those _freckles_. In fact, she had seen them just that morning.

“Dude! Earth to Lady, come in!” Paon snapped, noticing her distraction with a narrow-eyed look that make her blush harder than she already was. She shook her head to clear it. There was an akuma to bring down; she could deal with her little revelation later.

“Okay, you perv! You KNOW there's children in this city, don't you?!” Foxy shouted at the akuma in frustration. As they regrouped, maneuvering to try to safely box in the akuma, Chat called out to them from behind a car.

“Well, I'm not actually naked,” he shared, still able to feel his suit even though it couldn't be seen. “I just... look naked. So, I'm gonna let you all handle this while I find a pair of shorts to borrow.” With that, he darted into a nearby store.

“All right,” Ladybug declared, all of them eyeing Hazer warily, “let's uproot this shrub.”

Foxy and Bee groaned, but Ladybug knew a certain cat who'd probably approve.

 

* * *

 

Taking down Hazer had proven trickier than the team had initially anticipated, at least in part because they were all being extra careful to avoid being nudified by him. Finally, shortly after Chat rejoined them in a pair of bright blue trunks, the heroes prevailed.

“Papillon is _definitely_ running out of ideas,” Bee declared, lip curled in derision. She brushed invisible dust from the front of her costume, as though sullied by the entire affair.

“Tell me about it,” Foxy grimaced in distaste. She tossed her auburn hair back over one shoulder.

“Good work, everyone,” Ladybug said as she and Chat exchanged their customary fist bump. She was just glad to have it done with. “And that would be my miraculous beeping, so I'll be bugging out.”

There was a chorus of goodbyes amongst them. Bee leaned in to give Foxy a companionable half-hug, murmuring that she'd see the other girl for patrol that evening. Foxy, in turn, gave Paon a friendly punch in the shoulder and reached up to muss Chat's hair before quickly departing the area.

Paon clapped Chat on the shoulder. “Rocking them shorts, bro,” he said by way of goodbye.

Soon, none of the heroes were to be found on the scene. A few alleys down, Adrien made his way to the next cross street, talking to Plagg as he went.

“That was a little close,” the young man stated with amusement.

“Are you kidding?” the kwami exclaimed. “If your mask hadn't remained in place, all of Paris would know your identity, now!”

Adrien was too grateful that hadn't been the case to worry about it after the fact. “Well, let's just hope nobody recognizes my abs from that swimsuit issue I did last year,” he joked. Before Plagg could respond further, another voice broke in.

“Adrien!”

Plagg dove under his over-shirt as Adrien whirled around, relaxing a bit to see that it was Marinette jogging up the alley behind him. “Hey, Mari,” he greeted. “Were you around for the akuma attack?”

“Uh, sorta,” Marinette replied. What was she doing? Apart from turning red, again. Wasn't that just great?

“Are you all right?” Adrien asked, concerned by her short response. She hadn't been speechless around him for a long time.

“I know that you're Chat Noir,” she blurted out. Well, _that_ wasn't what she'd intended. Or maybe it had been, considering she'd made the questionable decision to go after him.

“W-what?” the blond gave a rather forced laugh. “What are you talking about? No way I'm Chat Noir. Has Alya gone back to that theory?”

Well, in for a penny, in for a pound. Drawing in a fortifying breath, Marinette squared her shoulders and met his eyes. Okay, almost. She was kind of staring at his eyebrow. “I saw your freckles,” she told him. “When the akuma hit you. I saw the freckles that are on your butt.”

Adrien opened his mouth, only to blink. “Oh,” he said. He scratched at the back of his head. “Guess this gives a whole new meaning to 'exposure'.”

The girl let out a laugh, shaking her head. She was starting to wonder why she hadn't put it all together before. Perhaps, it was because she hadn't really wanted to.

“Wait a minute,” Adrien murmured next. He was giving her an appraising look. “Where were you, exactly?”

 _Uh oh._ “Oh, um, I was hiding,” Marinette replied hurriedly. “In one of shops. But I couldn't help but peek out a window to see what was going on.”

“Right.” His tone was too sarcastic to be acceptance.

“Yes, well, I should really be-” she began.

“Ladybug?”

Drat it all if she didn't blush again! She opened her mouth, not even sure what she could possibly say to salvage the conversation. Adrien didn't give her the chance.

“You are, aren't you?” he was clearly getting excited by the idea. “I'd thought you might be before, but now I'm sure. You would have had to have been close to notice something so small, so you couldn't have been in a shop when you saw my freckles. You're really Ladybug – my Lady.”

And he looked so happy and awed and just blasted _joyful_ about it that Marinette couldn't have come up with a lie to say she wasn't if she'd wanted. “Guess that's two cats out of the bag,” she offered sheepishly.

Adrien stared at her in delighted surprise. “God, I love you,” he declared, leaning down to wrap her in a tight hug. “Finally!” the blond breathed, though Marinette didn't think that was for her. Stepping back again, he practically beamed at her.

“Come on, you,” Marinette finally laughed, pulling him around so he was facing the right direction when they started walking.

“As you wish, Buginette.”

“Please don't call me that around other people, they'll figure it out – especially our friends!”

He placed a hand on his chest in mock offense. “Of course not, my Lady. I am a very discerning feline,” Adrien declared.

Marinette rolled her eyes at his antics. “I should have just gone home,” she groaned.

“Well, I, for one, am glad you didn't.”

They shared a smile between them. Although it certainly wasn't how Marinette had thought the discovery of their identities would go, it did feel as though the time was right. Granted, this meant that she had managed to develop a crush on the same ridiculous boy twice without realizing it. She decided Adrien didn't need to know that.

“So, who do you think the others are?” Adrien asked conspiratorially. “I don't know about you, but I'm _pretty sure_ I've got a good idea who Paon is in his civilian life.”

“No! Adrien, we are not going to try to figure out the others' identities,” Marinette told him firmly.

“Aw, c'mon, Bugaboo – where's the fun in that? Not even a few guesses?” he wheedled.

“Adrien Agreste, your Chat Noir is showing!” she admonished.

“Sort of like how my butt was showing earlier?” Adrien questioned cheekily.

Smacking him lightly in the arm, Marinette shook her head at him. She definitely should have just gone home... but she was glad she hadn't.

 


End file.
